


The Rembrandts (Or, The One With the Alternate Points-Of-View)

by No2Ticonderoga



Series: Senior Year Cliches [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cannon compliant, F/M, High School, Post-HoO, for now, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No2Ticonderoga/pseuds/No2Ticonderoga
Summary: A series of short looks at Percy and Annabeth's senior year through the eyes of others around them. Part of the Senior Cliches universe
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Original Characters - Relationship
Series: Senior Year Cliches [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872121
Comments: 44
Kudos: 290





	1. Kirsten (Companion to Chapter 18)

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise!
> 
> These aren't actually beta'd, so any and all typos are mine. But I decided not to wait any longer to get a couple of these out. I still have an hour or so of Percy's birthday left in my time zone, so hey, happy birthday, Seaweed Brain!

There was a knock at the door, and Kirsten leaned back in her chair to see who it was. It was Ava.

"Kassandra and I are going to the dinning hall, want to go with?" she asked.

Kirsten sighed. "Should probably eat something," she allowed.

She rose from her desk, checked that her ID was in her pouch and headed for the door.

"What time will Annabeth be back tonight, do you know?" Ava asked

“She’s not coming back,” Kirsten said. “She’s got permission to sleep out tonight.” 

“What!” Ava exclaimed. 

Kassrandra, who’d been out in the hall just beyond the door, had heard this last. “Do you think they got a hotel room?”

“Nah,” Kirsten said. “She told me she was just going to go back to Percy’s place for the night, no big.”

“I refuse to believe they aren’t doing it,” Ava said. “She says they’ve been together for almost 2 years. And you’ve seen what they look like when he walks her home.” 

“She claims they’re not, and she’s got no reason to lie about it,” Kirsten said. “It’s not like anyone would judge her for it at this point.” She shrugged. They stopped at the door to the dorm to scan out. “Though it is fun teasing her about it.”

“She and Percy are like, attached at the hip, though,” Ava said.

“Their relationship is spooky, to be honest," Kassandra said. 

"Well, as Annabeth says…'it's complicated'. I feel like that's her favorite phrase sometimes," Kirsten admitted. 

"That's true. And then she never explains it," Ava agreed."It's a bit frustrating."

"Like, why does she swear in Greek?"

"Or why she's so afraid of spiders? Like that time one crawled onto our lab bench in physics and she ran out of the room?" Ava added.

Kirsten kept her counsel. She knew there were things about her roommate that were odd. She knew better than either of them. She'd heard things when Annabeth had been having nightmares that made her hair stand on end. None of it made any sense, but it was still scary. But she had her own demons to deal with, so she granted Annabeth the privacy of dealing with them on her own. She knew Annabeth got therapy, sometimes with Percy, she knew. Annabeth didn’t know that Kirsten saw her own therapist, as well. 

So when Annabeth cried out in her sleep for Percy to ‘watch out!’ or shouted ‘Bob! No!’, or demanded ‘Hera, give him back!’ or whimpered ‘Arachne’, Kirsten kept it quiet. 

Far be it from her to judge, even if it made no sense.

She’d sort of bought the story about the mountain climbing accident. It explained some of the scars anyway. But Kirsten had seen Annabeth without clothes. There were more scars there than could be explained by mountain climbing. And you didn’t get burns that way, and Kirsten was pretty sure some of those scars were burns. The story about her kidnapping was incredible and bizarre, but the more Kirsten poked at the news stories and thought about it, the more holes the tale seemed to have. 

Yes, there was far more to her roommate than she let on. 

But that was OK. 

Kirsten needed friends more than she needed answers. And Annabeth was a good friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter at No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Visit the website at No2ticonderoga.com


	2. Josh (Companion to Chapter 23)

The cab pulled up in front of Darah's brownstone. 

"I had a great time tonight," Josh told her.

"I did too," she said. She bit her lip, and then said. "Do you want to come in for a few minutes? If you don't have to go home."

"I...I don't, actually..I was...well, nevermind. Sure," he said. He climbed out and paid the cab driver, tipping him generously for putting up with them making out in the back of his cab.

He followed Darah up the stairs. She pulled a house key from her purse, and let them in, then reset the alarm keypad. Josh looked around the darkened hall. There wasn't much to see. Darah held his hand and led him up a flight of stairs. The room at the front of the house was a family room, with couches and a big TV. "The first floor room is the  _ formal _ sitting room," Darah explained. "I hang out up here." She waved at the couches. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to go let mom know I'm home, and change into something more comfortable."

She left him and disappeared up another flight of stairs. He could hear her heels clicking on the wood floors as she moved about the upstairs. They first went to the front of the house and after a pause, headed toward the back, then stopped. Josh peered out the big front windows at the quiet street below. It was a nice neighborhood. He took off this tux jacket and vest, undoing his bow tie and carefully laying everything out on one of the room's overstuffed chairs. He turned at a noise and Darah was there, dressed in a t-shirt and gym shorts. She'd let down her hair and was barefoot. 

"Can I get you something from the fridge?" she asked. 

"Sure, a coke would be great, if you've got any," he said.

"I'll be right back. Take your shoes off, get comfy," she instructed and then padded down the flight they had come up together. 

Josh did as he was told, and then sat down on the couch opposite the large TV. He felt nervous. She was gone a long time, but the reason was revealed as she came up the stairs and the smell of popcorn preceded her. She brought in two cans of coke and a bowl with the popcorn, and sat down on the couch next to him, cuddling in. She sighed. "Thanks for a great time tonight," she said as she set the popcorn on his lap. 

“Thank  _ you _ ,” he said. “This has been the greatest night ever.” He put his arm around her and she snuggled in closer. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me out for a while,” Darah said. “So, I’m glad you finally got the hint.” 

“I...well,” he stammered.

“It’s okay,” she patted his cheek. “So what did you mean in the taxi when you said you didn’t have to go home? It sounded like there was a story there.”

“Well,” Josh said. “Remember how I told you about my brothers being jerks?”

“About getting a hotel room for you?”

“Yeah, well, they did,” he said. 

“They did?” Darah sat up a little. “So why are we here?”

“Well, I...I didn’t really think,” he stammered. “I wasn’t…”

Darah smiled at him. “You’re sweet.” She kissed him. “So, what, you just weren’t going to go home, so they’d think you gone there, and they’d leave you alone?”

“I mean...yeah, pretty much,” Josh admitted.

“What about the room?” she asked.

“I...gave Percy the key, for him and Annabeth,” Josh said. “I told them to raid the minibar and watch pay-per-view, so my brothers would have to shell out extra.” 

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Darah said. 

“I figured that he...they…” Josh shrugged.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sure it’s appreciated. Annabeth and I were talking while we were at the ladies room,” she said. “I definitely think you made a good choice.”

“I had no idea about Annabeth. Like, how did we not know about how serious they were?” Josh said.

“I don’t know,” Darah said. “But she’s pretty awesome! Like, seriously cool.”

“I know.” He paused. “It’s just weird though. I know Percy’s pretty much my best friend, but it seems like there’s always something under the surface with him. Like, do you know how he never seems to get jokes about movies and stuff? It’s like he had no childhood.”

“Well, we know he had that nasty stepdad before Mr. Blofis,” Darah pointed out. “He doesn’t talk about it much, but when he does, it sounds pretty horrific. And everybody knows that stuff about him when he was a kid and got kidnapped. Everyone looked that stuff up after the bandroom got blown up at freshman orientation.”

“Yeah,” Josh agreed. “I just feel like...there’s more to him, somehow. Like things he’s not saying. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy. But…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Like when he gave Gabe the staredown in the hallway? I heard about that. And he gets jumpy. Like, last fall, when he dozed off in Chem class, and then the teacher blew up the balloon with hydrogen? He jumped like 12 feet in the air, and when he came down, he was standing there holding a yardstick like a sword, but nobody knew where he’d gotten the thing.”

“I heard about that,” Josh said. “He’s talked about having a therapist this year. Maybe something happened last year while he was abroad.”

“And that’s another weird thing. Why did he go study in Greece for like, a whole semester? He never talks about it much, when you ask him.”

Josh shrugged. “I dunno.” 

“It’s funny, though, did you notice? He and Annabeth both do that plural thing,” Darah said.

“What plural thing?” Josh frowned.

“Like, when you say ‘oh, God’. They say, ‘oh, gods’,” she explained.

“Oh yeah! I’ve noticed that. Kamal and I talked about it once. We were trying to figure out if he might be Hindu, or Budhist, but I’ve been to his house, he’s clearly not either.”

“It’s weird that they both do it,” Darah said. 

“Well, they have been together a long time, maybe it’s something one picked up from the other?” Josh suggested.

“Maybe,” Darah said. “But…” she paused. “Percy always spouting these Greek phrases, too. Like ‘Styx’, or ‘Hephestus’. Stuff like that. And he knows a ton about Greek mythology. You don’t suppose, they’re like Greek or something? Like they believe in the Greek gods, do you?”

Josh snorted, but then paused. “I...I guess it’s possible. But that seems far fetched. I mean, most Greeks today are either Orthodox Christians or Catholics. Maybe a few Muslims, I guess. I’ve never heard of anyone actually still worshipping the Olympians.” 

Darah nodded. “I mean, we could ask,” she pointed out. “I don’t think any of us has bothered to ask.”

“True. It just kinda feels like prying, y’know?” 

“Yeah, that’s true,’” Dara said. They were silent for a moment. “I guess...everyone’s got their secrets,” Darah said finally. “Does it really matter though?”

“Nah,” Josh said. “He’s a pretty good guy...for a goy,” he grinned.

She gave him a smirk. “And what about me? Am I your goy girlfriend?” she asked.

“No,” he corrected with a grin. "My mother would say you’re my  _ shiksa _ girlfriend.” 

“Mmm.” She kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter at No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Visit the Wesbite at No2Ticonderoga.com


	3. Mr. Adams (Companion to Chapter 26)

"Any questions?" Ben Adams looked out at his class. 

No one said anything, naturally, but they did wait the requisite 15 seconds for the final bell to ring before scrambling to shove their stuff in their bags and break for the door. He sat down at his desk at watched as they went. 

Percy Jackson sat at his desk for a long minute before getting up. He looked like death on a Triscuit, truth be told. His friend Kamal patted him on the shoulder before he left, which Percy acknowledged with a vague nod. 

Ben got himself a Coke, his end of the day ritual, and watched surreptitiously as Percy packed his bag. He'd read the IEP, and the 504. Anxiety was bad enough, but PTSD on top of that, along with all the kid's other academic issues. Ben considered it a minor miracle that the kid kept afloat, let alone be pulling a high B in his class. 

PTSD was something he did have experience with, though, and the signs were there that Percy had had some kind of attack recently. He weighed the pros and cons of saying something, and decided he would at least ask how the kid was doing.

"Hey, Percy. You doing okay?"

Percy sighed. Ben recognized that sigh. It was the sigh of patient tolerance of people who meant well. He regretted saying anything.

"Yeah. Rough night." 

"Sorry to hear that," Ben said. 

“It’s okay. I’m going to go see my girlfriend, and then go home and get some sleep.” He hesitated. “Going to see my therapist about it tomorrow,” he admitted.

Ben nodded. “Good plan. Take care, Percy.”

“Thanks, Mr. Adams.” And he slouched out the door, looking miserable.

Ben waited for him to be gone down the hall, then took his Coke and headed out himself. A couple of turns later brought him to the English hallway. He leaned into Paul’s classroom. “Hey, Paul,” he called.

Paul looked up from his grading. "Hey, Ben, what's up?"

"Percy seemed a bit off today, he okay? Everything go okay at prom? He didn't seem like he was up to talking much."

Paul sighed. "He...had a rough night last night. But he'll be okay. He had a great time at prom."

Ben nodded. "He had an episode?" Ben didn’t think Percy’s friends knew anything, but he had to know his teachers knew what was in his IEP, so it wasn’t exactly prying. 

Paul nodded. "Yeah. Bad one. He didn't tell me much about it, but I could tell." Paul shrugged. "I didn't press him."

"No, no, I get it. He told me he's going to his therapist tomorrow."

"Yeah, Sally and I are grateful he has someone he can talk to." Paul said. "And Annabeth, of course."

"The girlfriend?" 

"Yeah. They... they've been through a lot together, and they're good for each other," Paul said. He looked for a moment like he would say more, but he let it drop.

"Well, I'm glad to hear he's on top of it," Ben said. "I wish there was more I could do to help him." 

Paul smiled. "Me too. Thanks, Ben, I appreciate it. He loves your class, you know."

"Good to know," Ben said. He waved his coke. "Have a good afternoon. See ya tomorrow."

"You, too."

Ben headed back towards his own classroom. Percy Jackson was definitely an enigma. He knew a little about his history. He'd seen some of the reports from his old schools. He always seemed to be on the edges of trouble. And of course, anyone could Google him and find out about the thing from when he was twelve. Not too many kids had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt. At twelve. 

But that didn't really explain everything. Ben would swear on whatever sacred object you cared to name that the kid had seen combat. How  _ that _ was possible made no sense to Ben. 

And yet…

Ben had once asked Percy about the tattoo on his forearm. Percy had shrugged and said something about getting it when he'd been abroad last year, where he hasn't needed parental consent. Which was believable. 

Except…

Ben has seen that tattoo before. Or one very much like it. In the same place, on the arm of a Major of the Green Berets. He'd been a towering mountain of a man, and brilliant to boot. His tattoo had featured 10 tally marks on it, and the symbol has been slightly different. Where Percy had a trident, the Major's had been what looked to Ben at the time as the symbol for "male", but Ben had learned later that it was also the astrological symbol for Mars. When he'd looked it up, he'd discovered Percy's symbol meant Neptune. 

Ben had mostly been a line soldier in the army, but he'd served as a scout, and had training in intel gathering. He'd been taught not to believe in coincidence. He'd also been taught to follow his gut, both in the service and as a teacher.

His gut said this was no coincidence.

What it actually meant, he had no idea. But he knew it was important, somehow, to the mystery of Percy Jackson. 

He hoped that it all made sense to the kid's therapist, and that he was getting the help he needed. Percy was a good kid. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter at No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Visit the website at www.no2ticonderoga.com


	4. Ms. DiOrio (Companion to Chapter 27)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So I've had this one sitting on my G-Drive for more than a month and it just needed a little bit at the end to wrap it up. I finally did, so here it is!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> The main story will hopefully get updated this week as well. :D

"Okay," her husband said. "Which one is it?"

"Hmm?" she looked up from her book. They were sitting up in bed before turning out the light to go to sleep.

"I've asked you three times if you want a glass of water from the kitchen. You're staring at your book, you haven't turned a page in five minutes. And you have that look on your face where the skin between your eyebrows wrinkles,” he said.

She sighed. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’d like a glass of water,” she said. “I’ll come with you,” she said. “I should put these dishes in the dishwasher.” She gathered up the remains of their bedtime snack, a slice of apple pie and cold milk. 

“So who is it?” Her husband asked again, as they walked to the kitchen.

She sighed again. “The Jackson boy.”

“Ah,” her husband said. “Him.”

“Yes, him,” she said.

“What happened this time?” her husband asked.

“Not sure. He was a little off on Monday, one of his teachers gave me the heads up. When I checked in with him, he was...defensive is the wrong word, but certainly evasive. He clearly didn’t want to talk to me.”

“It bothers you that he doesn’t trust you,” he said, getting ice from the ice maker on the front of the fridge and filling two glasses with water while she finished loading the dishwasher.

“Well, yes,” she admitted. “I mean, I know he’s getting therapy, his therapist is a guy out in Brooklyn, of all places. Why go all the way to Brooklyn. He lives in Manhattan, I've seen his file. And, and I know there are probably thousands of therapists in New York, but I'd never heard of this guy before."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Only once, and he was pretty evasive about my questions."

"Well, patient confidentiality is part of his job, too," her husband pointed out. 

"Well, that's true, but usually they at least tell us if there are things we should know about," she argued.

"Maybe he doesn't think you need to know," he countered reasonably. 

She humphed.

He laughed. "Admit it, the kid drives you crazy. You want to know what's up and it's killing you not to know."

"Fine," she huffed. "Yes, it bugs me. Are you happy?" 

Her husband shrugged. "I guess. I didn't want to start a fight."

She sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little…"

"Stressed?"

"Last month of the year is always hard. So many kids right on the edge."

"Is this Percy kid one of them?" he asked.

"No, surprisingly. Near as I can tell he's worked his ass off. And the IEP helped. He never would have made it without supports. I don't know why he never had them before. He clearly needs them."

"Strange that it took so long to identify him."

"I know!" she exclaimed. It's like, for three years he's a problem kid, barely making the grade, and then he goes abroad and shows back up with four tons of paperwork, a PTSD diagnosis, anxiety and dyslexia, and God knows what else...like where was this kid? And Paul is no help. He toes the line. I have no records of his schooling abroad and he dodges me everytime and then I forget and…" she shook her head. 

"Go to sleep," her husband said as they climbed back into bed. "You said he's okay to graduate, so fine. In a month, he's not your problem anymore."

"And that's another thing. I've never heard of this place he's going to school. Like, never. It's not in the Princeton Guide, it's not in US News. If I hadn't talked with their admittance office personally, I'd say he faked the whole thing, like that movie. But there's a real staff, and they sent legit forms and everything. I just don't get it."

“There are probably enough colleges in the country that you can’t know them all,” he pointed out reasonably.

“Yes, but it should be in the Princeton Guide. They’re  _ all _ in the Princeton Guide.”

“Maybe it’s one of those weird religious schools. Do you think he’s in a cult?” Her husband’s tone of voice was joking. 

She snorted at his joke, then paused. It was  _ possible _ , she supposed. Though Paul didn’t strike her as the type to put up with that kind of nonsense. She didn’t know Paul Blofis really well, but everything she’d seen said he was a typical middle class English teacher. Probably not one to marry a religious fanatic and consent to a teenager joining some culty college. And besides that Percy didn’t strike her as particularly religious either. He swore, she’d heard him. Like most teachers, she had hallway deafness. Otherwise, she’d spend nearly her whole day writing kids up. 

Though, she reflected, half the time it was in Greek. Which was a little strange. But New York was a big city, and she didn’t really know Sally Jackson that well. Maybe she was Greek, or had Greek heritage. 

She sighed, and reached for the bedside lamp. Hopefully she could put Percy Jackson out of her brain so she could get to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Questions? Email me at TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter for my infrequent updates: @No_2Ticonderoga


	5. Kassandra (after Chapter 32)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that, two in a day!
> 
> I really hope to update the main story this week as well. We'll see how that goes.

The cab pulled away from the curb, and Kassandra and Anthony waved back at Percy and Annabeth standing on the sidewalk. 

“Your friends are really cool,” Anthony told her, as the cab turned the corner and they disappeared from view.

“Thank you,” Kassandra said, and clung happily to Anthony’s arm. They had really cleared the air between them. They’d had a good conversation about why she wasn’t going to go to Harvard. He was honest with her about his disappointment. She was honest with him about needing to go to UPenn, to learn how to stand on her own. He was supportive of her, and at least was willing to see her point of view on the issue. She didn’t want to end up “Anthony’s girlfriend” at Harvard. The conversation had been good. It cleared the air. They knew where they each stood now, and for now, at least, they stood together. They would try and make it work. Kassandra was hopeful they could. 

“Percy seems like a nice guy, he and Annabeth are really good together. They seem like they’ve got it all figured out,” Anthony said. He hesitated. “He’s a little...odd though.”

“Odd? How so?” Kassandra asked.

“Some of the things he says...they’re kind of random, did you notice? Like, when he accidentally kicked the table leg...what language was that that he swore in, do you know?”

“Greek, I think. Annabeth does the same thing.” 

“You don’t find that weird?” Anthony asked.

Kassandra shrugged. “I mean, a little, but that’s just what she does. Maybe she picked it up from him?” 

“Jackson doesn't seem like a Greek name,” Anthony said. “But, then again, he does look Mediterranean.” He shrugged. “But I guess that’s just a minor thing. It's more than that. Percy...and Annabeth...they seem like...I dunno. They’re deep, do you know what I mean? They’re like...I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like they just go down. Bottomless depths.”

Kassandra cocked her head. “I’m not sure I follow you.”

“They’re like...you have this sense that they have this deep reserve. I don’t think we’re seeing anything more than the tip of the iceberg with them.” Anthony shook his head. “I like them, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think any of you really  _ know _ them.”

Kassandra considered. She’d always considered Anthony an excellent judge of character, it was one of the things she liked about him. She thought about what he said. 

It was true that Annabeth was a bit...odd, in some ways. She always seemed to have the most stamina of all of them, pushing on way past the point at which Kassandra would have burned out from studying, like she was driven. Kassandra had always attributed that to ambition, but Anthony was right, it seemed to go beyond that in some ways. 

Finding out about some of her more aggressive pastimes: rock climbing, sword fighting, and judo flipping her boyfriend added some layers to her personality that Kassandra hadn’t really been aware of before. It was...a little disconcerting, she supposed. There was nothing, she supposed, unusual about not knowing things about a person, but this crack in the door to the person beyond what she knew was a little surprising. Like, shouldn’t some of this have come up before now? How was it she didn’t know that Annabeth was so outdoorsy? Had she never talked about it before?

She thought of a line from a book she’d read once.  _ Such resounding silences _ . 

The more she picked at it the more she realized there was a lot she didn’t know about her friend. She tried to think about the things she knew about her beyond school and their studies. Annabeth rarely talked about home, though Kassandra had the vague impression that she and her dad were trying to reestablish a difficult connection, and there were step siblings - brothers, she thought. Kassandra knew zero about Annabeth’s mom. She knew she considered Percy’s mom to be her surrogate mom, more even than her stepmom, who was the source of the difficulty with her dad.

She loved architecture. She went to summer camp. She swore in Greek. Her boyfriend liked the ocean. She read trashy romance novels when she didn’t think anyone was looking. She didn't go to church, or temple, or a mosque. She had a cousin in Boston, they’d found that out this past winter. 

And Kirsten had hinted that she knew more than she let on from time to time, which was to be expected from a roommate. But she also didn’t elaborate about it, which made her a really  _ good _ roommate. 

“Maybe,” Kassandra allowed. “I mean, do you think they’re in witness protection or something?”

Anthony chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him with a sigh. “No, nothing so dramatic. I just think...well, there’s more there than meets the eye.” He paused. “I think Kirsten’s right about them though. I don’t think they’ll wait long to get married. I mean, under other circumstances, if we’d met, I might have assumed they were married already. Like, if we were all in college rather than high school, I totally would have thought they were at least engaged. They act like an old married couple.”

Kassandra nodded. “You may be right after all. We’ll see, I guess.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Questions? Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter for banal comments about my life, when I remember to update: @no_2Ticonderoga


	6. Mrs. Burke (During Chapter 34)

“Hello?” Nicole Burke answered her desk phone. She’d just finished a meeting with a junior about her transcripts, and had about 10 minutes before her next appointment, a freshman girl with severe homesickness trending toward anxiety and depression. She needed to get the school psychologist on that one, soon, before it got out of hand.

“Hi, Nicole? It’s Pauline.” Pauline taught English.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I just heard a strange rumor about one of your students, Annabeth Chase?”

“Annabeth?” Nicole was little surprised. Annabeth was one of their brightest stars. And though she didn’t know her as well as she might have liked, she did have an extensive file on her from an odd little therapist she’d never heard of out in Brooklyn. So she did try and check in on the girl, from time to time. “What about her?”

“Some of the girls in my class this morning were talking about how they’d heard she’d gotten engaged to be married after prom this past weekend.”

Nicole’s eyebrows climbed up somewhere around her hair line. “Engaged?”

“One of them claimed to have seen the ring,” Pauline said. “I...just thought I might be something you’ll want to check out.”

“Yeah, I’ll look into it. Thanks.” She hung up the phone. 

She’d not heard that Annabeth had a boyfriend, but she supposed that wasn’t entirely unusual. She’d worked at a co-ed school before coming to the Forrester School, and it was a lot easier to keep track of the student’s social lives there. She’d found that working at a single sex school meant that student took their social lives off campus more, made it harder to keep track of. And she had more than 150 girls on her case load. It was hard to keep track of all of them, especially when they didn’t give her problems. People like Annabeth, for instance. 

Nicole pulled up Annabeth’s record. Her grades were uniformly excellent. Her selected college was listed, as well as her intended major, architecture. Nicole frowned briefly. She’d tried to get more info on this New Rome University, but it had been hard to come by. 

She checked Annabeth’s birthday. She would be turning 18 this summer. Her father was in California, she knew, a professor and researcher of some kind. And California was a long way away. She wondered if he knew about this. She checked the clock...too early in California for a call.

“Maureen?” she called out to the outer office.

“Yes?” her secretary called back. 

“Can you put a call in to Frederick Chase for me? The number is in Annabeth Chase’s file. It’s still to early to call California, so maybe around lunch time? See if he’ll call me back…” she checked Annabeth’s schedule. “Around 1-ish our time?”

“Certainly,” Maureen said. “And reception says your 8:40 is here.”

“Give me two minutes, then have them send her down.”

“Got it.”

Nicole stared at Annabeth’s student record for another moment. Seventeen years old, and engaged to be married? That seemed unlikely. And Annabeth didn’t strike her as the kind of girl who got swept off her feet. This had to be some kind of mistake. She would talk to Annabeth. Clear it up. Maybe...maybe her date had proposed to her as a grand romantic gesture designed to bed her? Not impossible, though she could hardly see someone like Annabeth falling for it...but who knew? Maybe she was that starved for male attention…

“Hi Ms. Burke,” a sad voice interrupted her.

“Renae, how are you doing today?” 

“Ok…”

Nicole meant to get lunch, she really did. But there just wasn’t. She’d had to handle Renae, and then she’d gotten an emergency call to handle a student in crisis about the approaching exams. She finally got a chance to get out of her office.

“Maureen, if Dr. Chase calls back, send it to the conference room on the 2nd floor of the math building. I’m going to be meeting with Annabeth there.”

“Okay!”

Nicole reflected as she crossed campus. Her stomach was growling and she knew her patience was thin. While it was good to get out of her office, she found herself annoyed by the whole situation. What was it about teenagers and their various relationship dramas? It was patently ridiculous for a seventeen year old to be getting engaged. And what was her father going to say? Maybe he could help talk some sense into her. Yes, that would help. She was sure he was going to be upset when he found out about this. Nicole was certain he could not know about this. 

She walked into the math building, determined that she would set Annabeth straight. And then maybe she could finally get some lunch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email: The Author@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter!: @No_2Ticonderoga


	7. Mackenzie (During Chapter 38)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was actually somewhat inspired by X23, so shout out. 😁
> 
> I always intended to do an alternate POV for this scene, from Emma's POV, after Percy and Annabeth left the party, and I still will, but after reading X23's comment, Mackenzie kinda jumped and said. "ooo! ooo! Me! Me! My turn!" 
> 
> This is the result! Enjoy!

When Emma had told her that Percy Jackson would be bringing his mysterious fiancée to the party, she hadn’t known what to think. She’d heard all the rumors, of course, and she remembered seeing the girl at prom. Emma had explained to her that she and Percy had been together for a long time. Mackenzie didn’t know Percy particularly well, but she knew he was an excellent swimmer. She’d gone to a couple of the meets, for Emma, primarily, and she’s seen him race. He left his competition in the dust...or, wake, she supposed. Otherwise he’d always been something of an enigma. Rumor always seemed to swirl around him. Other than swim team, he seemed to keep to himself. She saw him around the hall, but that was it. She didn’t really know him.

She’d seen the fiancée, Annabeth, Emma had told her the name was, at prom, but she was  _ not  _ prepared for what she saw.

It was the same girl, sure, with the honey-blonde curls pulled back into a messy ponytail. She was gorgeous, and her bathing suit flattered her in all the right places. Percy was certainly a lucky guy in that respect.

Her engagement ring was a fucking rock. Mackenzie’s mother worked for one of the upscale jewelry firms in New York. Not Tiffany’s, but close. So, Mackenzie knew something about diamonds, probably more than any of the others. If it was true that it was a family heirloom, there was no way Percy’s biological dad was any kind of beach bum. Maybe one of those eccentric types who had a shit ton of money, but nobody knew about it till they kicked off and left it all to some gobsmacked relative, or their dog or something. 

But that wasn’t even the most shocking part of meeting her. When she took off her shirt, and shimmied out of her shorts Mackenzie’s breath caught in her throat. Her suit left little to the imagination, and clearly, Annabeth was toned and fit, with muscles sculpted in ways that Mackenzie, as a lacrosse athlete, could only envy. 

But it was the zig-zag accumulation of scars, across her back, and her chest, and her arms that took her breath away. Where in God’s name had she collected all those. She looked like she’d been through a war. Having seen those, Mackenzie's closer examination of Annabeth’s skin revealed more she’d not registered before, like along her neck, and down her thighs and legs. Some were fresher than others. Some were faint enough that it had probably been years since she’d sustained those injuries. 

She glanced at Charlotte who looked likewise taken aback. Percy’s swim team friends did not seem phased at all, which meant that they must have known something they didn’t. And Annabeth didn’t look in the least self-conscious about it. She must not have been, to wear that skimpy swimsuit, knowing that all of this would be on display. Mackenzie couldn’t help but be impressed with the blonde girl’s self-confidence. Mackenzie didn’t leave the house without a half ton of concealer if she had so much as a pimple, let alone what looked like a burn mark that ran across half her stomach. 

Annabeth called Percy over to help with her sunscreen, and he practically set a new world record getting across the pool. He seemed not only eager to get his hands on his fiancee, but also simply to help. Mackenzie had  _ not _ been prepared for Percy’s edgy joke about her ex-boyfriend. That had thrown her completely for a loop, though the others did not seem surprised, and Annabeth only rolled her eyes at his forwardness. It was clear though, from the looks they exchanged while he was rubbing the sunscreen in that they were deeply in love. And if they weren’t sleeping together, based on the look Annabeth shot him while telling him off for his hands wandering up her thighs, Mackenzie would eat her beach towel. 

Percy returned to the pool, and the girls shifted to the hot tub, talking about school, and college and careers, getting to know Annabeth a bit better. They teased her about David, which they’d been doing for years now, but she didn’t care. He was still damn cute. And then Darah had dropped her little revelation about how Percy had carried Annabeth out of the forest on his back after a rock climbing accident. That began to explain much.

When Annabeth and Darah and Emma went to go swim. Mackenzie stayed with Charlotte. “What do you think of Annabeth?” she asked the other girl.

“Seems very nice,” Charlotte said. “And she and Percy are clearly besotted with each other.”

“Yeah. And hot for each other too,” Mackenzie giggled. “Percy keeps trying to adjust his bathing suit.” Charlotte giggled as well. Mackenzie changed the subject. “What do you think of that story about the rock climbing accident?”

“It explains her scars,” Charlotte said.

“Not all of them,” Mackenzie pointed out. “It doesn’t explain the burns. And some of those scars are older than last year.”

Charlotte nodded. “That’s a point. But if they’re into outdoorsy stuff, it stands to reason that last summer was not their first rock climbing trip.” 

Mackenzie had to allow that Charlotte was probably right. “What about the burns though? Some of those are definitely burns. You don’t get those rock climbing.”

“I dunno,” Charlotte admitted. “You don’t think…”

“Think what?”

“That she was, like, abused or something as a kid?”

Mackenzie considered this. It was, faintly, horribly possible. She knew nothing of Annabeth’s past after all, other than what she’d learned this afternoon. Which wasn’t, she reflected, a whole lot. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “I mean, they don’t look like cigarette burns, or anything like that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the case.”

They were silent for a moment, as they watched Percy swim up next to Annabeth and wrap his arms around her for a surprise kiss on the cheek. She laughed and swatted him away.

“They are cute together,” Charlotte observed. “They’re like...super comfortable with each other. Like they’re already married.”

Mackenzie had been trying to articulate the same kind of thought. Even on first impression, there was a deep kind of ease between the two. Not like other couples she’d know, even Josh and Darah, who were really cute, were not like this. Josh and Darah would turn and look for each other, watch each other, and make cow eyes at each other. Percy and Annabeth...didn’t seem to need to. They didn’t have to look for each other, each seemed to know exactly where the other was, without even having to look, like they were completely in sync. It was kinda spooky, really. Mackenzie got the impression that Annabeth could call Percy’s name, and throw something at him, and he could turn instantly and be able to catch it, because he would know exactly where it was coming from and how fast. “Yeah, I get what you mean,” she replied. 

“I just can’t believe they’re seriously talking about getting married this summer,” Charlotte added. “That’s just….it blows my mind.”

“Agreed.” Mackenzie shook her head. “Like, who even does that?”

“Do you think she’s really might be pregnant?” Mackenzie asked Charlotte. “I mean, that’s what some of the rumors said. Might explain why they would rush to get married.”

“Yeah, but Emma said it was bullshit,” Charlotte pointed out. “I don’t think Emma would lie about it.”

“She certainly doesn’t look pregnant,” Mackenzie said.

“I know, right? And you’d be able to tell instantly in that suit. She looks like something out of a fitness ad. She looks like she’s in better shape than any of us here, and it’s not like we’re slackers.” There was a tinge of jealousy in Charlotte’s tone. Charlotte was a soccer player, and good enough to get scholarship money from Howard for it. Mackenzie hadn’t gotten any offers for her lacrosse skills, but she intended to try and walk on, if she could. “I supposed you could ask her.”

“Me?” Mackenzie looked at her in disbelief. “Why me?”

“You brought it up,” Charlotte pointed out. 

Mackenzie roller her eyes. “Maybe. If the opportunity presents itself.” 

It did eventually come up, after a game of truth or dare confirmed that yes, Mackenzie’s instincts had been correct, they were sleeping together. While everyone appreciated this confirmation, no one seemed particularly surprised by it. So at least there was potential for the rumor to have truth to it. To Mackenzie’s relief, Annabeth wasn’t offended, though she did seem a little exasperated to be answering the question again. Annabeth was candid in admitting that she and Percy were a little different from the norm, which made Mackenzie feel better, but then it did leave a lot of questions. What made them different? Why?

Mackenzie was still pondering these questions, when she heard Emma yelling. “Hey, you, get out of my yard! I’m going to call the cops!”

She looked up, and what she saw made her eyes cross at first. Were those... _ dogs?  _ What the fuck was that? But her eyes seemed to water, and she blinked, and she saw a bunch of college kids, and then everyone was running for the house...except Percy and Annabeth. Somehow Percy was already out of the pool between the pool and the intruders, and... _ was that a sword...what the fuck?  _ She blinked again, and the scene seemed to shift. She got to the house, turning her back on the scene to go inside, and suddenly, the intruders were running as a giant... _ something... _ came barreling out of the forest. 

“Fuck, is that bear?” someone yelled. 

“Dad!” Emma was yelling. “Get your shotgun!” 

“Someone should go help them!”

Mackenzie stood at the window, trying to make some sense of what she was seeing. At first, it looked like Percy and Annabeth were working together with the creature...was it a bear? And the college kids looked like dogs again, and the giant thing had one of them in it’s mouth…

And then the scene changed, and the college kids were running away, and Percy was standing on his tiptoes waving his arms, and making noise, and the bear was backing away... _ was it _ ? 

Mr. Scott came running past her with a shotgun and the boys had found weapons and they went out side, but it was all over.

Leaving Mackenzie feeling a little strange and woozy. And confused. She made her way out to the yard again slowly. Her head hurt. Everyone seemed to think that Percy had chased off the bear, and if he had, he was certainly a hero. But Mackenzie wasn’t certain that’s what had happened.

She remembered when she was a kid, she’d once told her mother that she’d seen a Pegasus flying over 5th Avenue. And a golden chariot by the Empire State building. Her mother told her she had a wonderful imagination. And over the years she’d mostly convinced herself that she  _ had _ imagined it. 

Had she?

Her head hurt, like part of her brain was trying to convince herself that she hadn’t seen strange things at all, and the other part was resisting. She kept looking at Percy and Annabeth, like part of her expected them to be all like, ‘no guys, it wasn’t a bear, and those college kids were actually dog creatures’. But they just looked uncomfortable about all the attention and kept trying to get the party back in swing.

She tried too, but her head just hurt so much. Finally she gave up. “Hey, guys,” she told Charlotte and Zion. “I’m going to head home soon. I’ve got some homework to finish up,” she lied. Really she just wanted to go home and lie down. Maybe if she took some Tylenol and got some rest, she’d feel better. 

She’d try and remember to corner Percy at school, and ask him if he knew what it was all about. At least, she thought she would. Maybe.

\---

She did feel better when she got up the next morning. What a crazy day that had been, with that bear and all. Something niggled at the edge of her brain, like there was something she’d forgotten, but she quickly dismissed it. She had a Calc test this week. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: @no_2ticonderoga


	8. Emma (After Chapter 38)

Emma watched Percy and Annabeth leave. “Do you guys want pizza?” she asked Josh, Darah and Kamal.

“I could eat,” Kamal said. “I don’t have to be back yet.”

“Sure,” Darah agreed. “If it’s okay with you,” she directed the question at Josh.

“As long as it’s plain cheese,” Josh replied. “I’m down.”

Emma nodded, and asked her mom to order. 

They ended up moving inside, the mosquitos were beginning to come out in force, so they retreated to the family room. Emma draped herself across the easy chair, while Kamal laid out on the couch. Josh and Darah cuddled on the loveseat, though not in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable. They were good about that. 

“Great party,” Kamal said from the couch. “Thanks for having us.”

“No problem. We should do it again before the summer’s over.”

“Preferably without the grizzly bear,” Darah put in.

“Yeah, no shit,” Emma snorted. “That was nuts.”

“Good thing Percy was here,” Kamal noted. 

“Yeah.” She paused. “Hey, do you guys ever wonder about this summer camp he and Annabeth talk about?” 

Josh nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes. I mean, it’s more in what he doesn’t say that sometimes makes you go…” He tilted his head to the side with a confused face.

“Yeah,” Kamal agreed. “They have to be doing some wild stuff. Has he ever said where it is?”

“I want to say he said Long Island once, but that can’t be right. There’s nowhere on Long Island where he could get into that much trouble. There aren’t any bears on Long Island, are there?” Josh looked around for an answer. 

Emma shrugged. “Until today, I would have said there weren’t any bears within 50 miles of here, so that shows what I know.”

“Point,” Josh admitted. “But still. He makes it sound like it’s in the wilderness somewhere.”

“Mmm.” Darah hummed. They fell silent again, digesting this. “Do you ever get the feeling…” she trailed off.

“Feeling what?” Emma asked.

Darah shook her head. “I don’t know. Nevermind.” She waved it away.

But Emma thought she could tell what she was thinking. There was something totally odd about Percy Jackson.  _ And _ his fiancée. For starters, the fact that he  _ had  _ a fiancée was odd. But there were these strange circumstances that kept cropping up. Emma had had a  _ huge _ crush on him last year. She’d tried flirting with him, but he’d seemed oblivious. She’d half thought he might be gay, but she’d been absolutely crushed when he’d told them casually one day that he was going to visit his girlfriend. It had taken her a long time to get over it.

But her observation of him led her to conclude a number of things that didn’t add up. First of all, and perhaps significantly, he was uncannily skilled in the water. Like, crazy good. And he didn’t have a right to be. Emma would be the first to admit that Percy did not train anywhere near as hard as he should be to be as good as he was. She didn’t know if anyone else had really made the connection, but he never went to the weight room, he never ran laps unless coach made him. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how good he might be if he  _ actually _ trained. 

And he was jumpy. Others had noticed that; how he would sometimes react to loud noises. But Emma had studied his pattern of flinches. His reactions clearly indicated a pattern. He reacted like he was reacting to a physical threat, always turning toward the noise, and his hands coming up in defensive positions. Emma suspected that Percy had PTSD. But where he had gotten it? And under what circumstances? And where had he learned some of those combat moves?

And there were the odd little gaps. He was really hit or miss on pop culture, which might be explained by his horrific childhood, which he had told them a little about. But recent stuff, like the stuff that had happened in the last few years, was a blank for him. And whenever anyone asked him what he did over the summer, or on his trip to Greece he changed the subject. He’d been to Greece for a whole semester and didn’t have even a single picture. And never talked about it.  _ Never _ . 

Yes, there was a lot strange about Percy Jackson. And Annabeth, Emma realized, was no different. When those strange kids had appeared on the lawn, and Percy had reacted, Annabeth hadn’t run away, like the rest of them, she’d run  _ toward  _ the danger. To be  _ with  _ Percy. Like they were used to doing that sort of thing. Like it was part of their makeup. 

Which kind of begged the question, when had they learned that? And why? And they had clearly had a lot of practice, so when?

Her father entered the room. “I’ve contacted Animal Control,” he said. “They’ve agreed to send someone out, though it took some convincing. They said there hasn’t been a bear sighting in this area in years. But eventually, they agreed to investigate.”

Emma nodded absently. 

“That Percy boy,” her father said. “You said he was going to college in California?” 

“Yes, sir,” Josh said. “Some place called New Rome.”

Her dad nodded slowly. “I see. Well, it’s a pity. We could have used someone like him in the Corps.”

Her father had paid his way through college by doing ROTC, and then serving his time as Marine Corp officer. He’d gotten out when his commitment was over, and gone into private security, and now managed his own firm, running security for big corporations in dangerous parts of the world. Which was why he travelled so much. But he’d always looked back fondly on his time in the Marines. 

And he’d made an interesting point about Percy. His reactions were like a combat soldier. 

“I understand that he and that young lady he was with are engaged to be married?” her dad was asking.

“Yeah,” Emma answered. “Her name’s Annabeth, and they’ve been together a long time.”

“Pretty name,” her father mused. He sighed. “Well, I have to go take a conference call from Thailand shortly.” He patted the top of her head affectionately. “I hope you had fun today otherwise.”

Her friends gave a chorus of thank yous and yes, we did, and her father left. The doorbell rang, and a moment or two later, her mother appeared, carrying pizza boxes. “I’ll come help get some paper plates,” Emma offered, leaving the pizza boxes on the table. She followed her mother out to the kitchen. “Thanks for letting me have friends over,” she said, as she rummaged in the cabinet.

“Oh, it’s been lovely, I like your friends,” her mother said. “They’re all very nice. And Percy’s fiancée is a lovely girl.” Her mother stopped. “It feel so strange to say that. You shouldn’t be old enough to know someone who is engaged to be married.” Her mother shook her head. “Although, at least they’re going about it the right way,” she grumbled. 

Emma smirked a little. Her parents had not been best pleased when her sister had moved in with her boyfriend. And what her mother didn’t know about Percy and Annabeth’s activities wouldn’t hurt her.

She went back out to the living room, and handed out the paper plates, and everyone dug into the pizza. Her mother disappeared upstairs to her sewing room again, leaving the teenagers alone on the first floor.

“Okay, so, here’s a thing. Who’d have guessed it would have been Percy to be the first one of us to lose his virginity?” Emma asked.

Josh nearly snorted soda out of his nose. Kamal barked a laugh, and Darah giggled.

“I mean, when we figured out he actually had a girlfriend,” Josh said finally. “I guess it wasn’t a surprise.”

“Well, I suppose that begs the question, did any of us really think he was that serious about having a girlfriend?” Kamal asked.

“I was,” Emma admitted. “Once I got over thinking he was gay, that is.”

“I remember that,” Darah laughed. “For about two weeks you were convinced he was using a fake girlfriend as a beard.”

Emma blushed. “Yeah, that was a bad time in my life,” she admitted.

“So what changed your mind?” Kamal asked. “Why did you believe he had a girlfriend?”

“Gianna said he didn’t set off her gaydar,” Emma admitted. “That, and I realized that he had too much confidence to be in the closet. He...he just oozed self assurance. If he was that confident in himself, he should have been out.”

“That...doesn’t necessarily track. Lots of closeted people put up a good front,” Kamal pointed out.

“I know,” Emma sighed. “But what do you expect from a 16 year old?”

“Fair,” Kamal allowed. 

“Also...I dunno. Just the way he started talking about her, when we were hanging out. The look in his eyes. It was too real. And I realized that he hadn’t really registered any of my flirting, not because he was gay, which might have made him uncomfortable, but because it was flying right over his head, and he was thinking about someone else the whole time,” she admitted. “I think that’s what did it for me.” 

“Yeah, I agree,” Darah said. “I didn’t take it as hard as you, but still…”

“Wait, you had a crush on him too?” Josh was surprised, and Emma and Darah laughed.

“Well, duh,” Darah said. “Have you seen him? Even Gianna and Yose thought he was cute.”

“How did I not know this?” Josh asked, and this time Kamal laughed.

“Dude, if they’d been any more obvious about it, they would have been writing him love notes with lipstick. They were practically throwing themselves at him,” he said. “It was obvious to me.”

Emma felt her face heat with embarrassment that it had been that obvious. 

Josh shook his head. 

“It’s okay,” Darah patted his cheek. “It’s cute that you’re oblivious.” Josh looked at her sideways, like he didn’t quite believe her, but she leaned in and kissed his cheek reassuringly. “Besides,” she pointed out. “He’s taken, so it’s a moot point anyway. I never stood chance with him. And I think he’s probably a little intense for me.” Josh looked appropriately mollified by this. 

“What about you, Kamal, has there ever been a girl for you?” Emma asked.

Kamal shrugged. “There was Mikayla. But we didn’t last long enough for it to get serious.” Kamal had dated Mikayla for about a month in the fall. And they were cute together, but the relationship had foundered on cultural issues. Mikayla hadn’t quite been able to reconcile the fact that was Kamal was Muslim. She also resented the time he’d spent training for the swim season, so there had been that too. “I’m sure college will be different, though,” he said. “I’m pretty excited to go.”

Emma agreed. There had been boys, and dates, and a little light groping in her past, but she’d never felt a real connection with anyone at Goode. It didn't help that she was so tall. She was taller than most of the boys, which didn't help. Percy, Kamal and San were some of the few who actually were taller than her. But she'd never felt anything for Kamal or San. College would be different.

“Suppose we’ll all be invited to Percy and Annabeth’s wedding, when the time comes,” Darah mused. “You might even get to be a groomsman,” she pointed out to Josh.

“Huh. Hadn’t though about that yet. I wonder what kind of service it will be?” he wondered.

“Whaddya mean?” Emma asked.

“Probably a civil one,” Kamal put in. “If we haven’t figured out what he is by now, he probably isn’t anything.”

Emma was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Kamal and I used to try and figure out what religion Percy came from, since he’s always using the plural form ‘gods’. But we could never get a read on it,” Josh explained.

“Oh,” Emma said, enlightened. “Yeah, I get it now.” She paused. “Well, he doesn’t strike me as Buddhist.”

“And he sure as hell ain’t Hindu, with the amount of beef he consumes,” Kamal added.

“Huh.” Emma reflected. “What religions have multiple gods, besides those?”

“Not too many modern ones,” Darah reflected.

“Huh.” Emma shrugged. “Strange.”

“Yeah.” Josh took another slice of pizza. “This is pretty good,” he said. “Not bad for the suburbs.”

Emma snorted. “The local place is owned by a guy who used to work at a place in the city. Moved out and opened his own store when he got married and had kids. It’s like a slice of Times Square in the wilderness.” 

“That’s cool,” Kamal said between bites. 

“Hey, Emma,” Darah asked. “Have you started looking at the stuff for the Calc final yet?” 

“Not yet, why?” Emma asked.

“I was looking at my notes and I realized I missed something from the last unit, I was wondering…”

They chatted about school, and finals, and just nothing at all, till Josh said he needed to get the car home, and Kamal reluctantly agreed he needed to get back as well. Emma sighed, and bid them all farewell. She went upstairs. Her mother was sorting quilting fabric. 

“Did you have a nice time today, dear?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was great, thanks Mom,” she said. “I’m going to go work on some homework and go to bed, okay?” 

“Okay, sweetie. Don’t stay up too late, it’s a school day tomorrow.” 

“I won’t, mom, I promise.” She kissed the top of her mother’s head. 

Emma headed upstairs to shower, and head to bed. She had about 25 pages of Cider House Rules to finish for tomorrow’s Lit class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: Theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: @no_2ticonderoga


	9. Malcom (Chapter 34)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really should be working on the main story.

Malcom Pace was not interested in interruptions. He was working on some new plans for Capture the Flag this summer and did not want to be disturbed. He was nervous about potentially being Head Counsellor this summer. It seemed likely Annabeth was going to step down, since she’d told him, the last time he saw her, that she wanted to do an internship in the city. It would be odd without Annabeth. Then again, if she were mostly in the city, he wouldn’t have to worry about catching her with Percy...

“Malcolm?” someone called from the front porch.

“Yeah?” He called back in annoyance. 

“There’s a package here.” 

Now his curiosity was piqued. Malcolm got up from his desk. “Package? From who?”

“Um. Mom. We think.”

Malcolm furrowed his brows and crossed to the door. Two of his siblings were standing on the porch staring at a clothing rack that had appeared on the porch. On it, in a garment bag, hung a dress.

“Where did that come from?” Malcolm asked.

“I dunno. It wasn’t here five minutes ago. I just went to go get something from the armory, and when I got back…”

Malcolm took a step closer. It was a white dress, he noted, and some back portion of his brain began to indicate that was important. There was a shipping tag attached to the dress from Hermes Express, so that gave a clue as to how it had gotten here. Malcolm flipped the tag. 

_To Annabeth_

The note was written in the neat, precise handwriting that Malcolm knew was his mother’s. Okay, so, Mom sent Annabeth a dress... _why would she send Annabeth a dress_.. _.a_ white _dress_ … “Oh, shit!” Malcolm explained. 

“What??”

“I think this is Annabeth’s wedding dress,” he said, studying the dress more carefully. 

“Wedding dress?” 

“That’s what it looks like,” Malcolm said.

“Is she even engaged? Like, I didn’t think Percy would move that fast.”

Malcolm rolled his eyes. _Idiot._ “Franky, I’m surprised they’re not _married_ already,” he said. He sighed. “Well, bring it in, put it by her bunk.” Obediently, his siblings carried it inside. 

Malcolm began to grin slowly. It was only May. If this meant what he thought it did, he was going to have to find Connor. That boy was going to owe him a lot of drachmas....


End file.
